Science- Adele Roberts completed the London Marathon on Sunday less than a year after finishing chemotherapy.
- She is the fastest woman to complete the London Marathon with a stoma bag.
A DJ from the UK has become the fastest woman to complete the London Marathon with a stoma bag, less than a year after finishing treatment for bowel cancer.
Adele Roberts — a 44-year-old DJ for UK-based station BBC Radio 1 — set the world record by running the marathon in 3 hours, 30 minutes, and 22 seconds on Sunday.
In an Instagram post she said: "We've just set a #GuinnessWorldRecord for the fastest marathon with an ileostomy … less than 12 months since I stopped chemotherapy. Anything is possible."
Roberts thought she'd developed food sensitivity
In an Instagram post revealing her diagnosis on October 24 2021, Roberts said she had been struggling with her digestion and went to her doctor for a check up thinking it might be food sensitivity.
"I was embarrassed but I also knew that it could be something serious," she said.
She had a lot of bloating, cramping, and a sore tummy: all symptoms that can be easily explained away, especially as a woman, she told Women's Health.
Cancer never crossed her mind, and thought she was too young to get it at age 43.
Despite this, she was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer at the beginning of October 2021.
Insider previously reported that more young people are being diagnosed with bowel cancer — also known as colorectal cancer. One in five new cases of the disease in the US are being diagnosed in people in their early 50s or younger.
The American Cancer Society said that many colorectal cancer deaths can be prevented through screening, but this is low among young people.
According to the ACS, symptoms of bowel cancer can include diarrhea, constipation, a feeling of needing to poop that doesn't go away after going to the toilet, blood in your poop, cramping, weakness and fatigue, and weight loss.
The ACS said risk factors that can increase a person's chances of getting bowel cancer include being overweight, not being physically active, certain diets — such as those in high red meat — smoking, heavy drinking, being older, and a family history of the disease.
Roberts named her stoma bag Audrey
At the end of October 2021, Roberts had part of her bowel removed to take out the cancer tumor and was fitted with a stoma bag.
Throughout her cancer journey, Roberts has documented her experiences on Instagram, with many posts featuring the stoma bag — which she named Audrey — and the very real problems that come with it.
In one post in December 2022 she told the story of the first time her stoma bag burst over her and she had to clean herself up in a parking lot.
In another post she told her followers how she was "delirious" from chemotherapy while filming the series "The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer" alongside "Friends" star David Schwimmer.
Roberts announced she was cancer free on June 27 2022 in an Instagram post and since then she has continued to raise awareness for the disease and document her life after cancer.
In March this year, Roberts told Bowel Cancer UK: "Getting the help I needed in time helped save my life. If you're worried please speak to someone, early detection saves lives and it helped save mine."